Our Moments: Spencer and Toby
by DorkQueen
Summary: Spencer and Toby moments from the show. The dialogue is almost exactly the same and I try to capture the same mood/feelings, but I add my own element here and there.
1. Episode 1x16: First Amendments

**Disclaimer: Nah, I don't own Pretty Little Liars.**

**See, originally, this fanfic started with Episode 1x19 (Chapter 2). But after I finished writing Episode 1x20 Part 2, I realized that if this was going to be a complete Spoby fanfic, I had to start with the moment they first met (...not counting the many times Spencer stalked our favorite hottie).**

**Having that said, this is NOT my best writing. In fact, I consider the following chapters way better than this. Plus, there were some French phrases in this episode and I'm currently taking Spanish so I had to cover-up.**

**But enjoy. And review. :D**

* * *

The Cavanaughs' house was identical to any other red brick house in Rosewood. Seven windows, a walnut door, surrounded by tall leafy trees. But Spencer had seen this house two times before on television, once when Toby had been branded a suspect in Alison's murder. The other was the night of the Jenna thing.

On the local news channel, she had watched firefighters hose down the fire surrounding the house. She would never forget that night when the garage window shattered in a burst of red, the house illuminated by a shining yellow coming from inside the garage.

_Oh, my god. _Would he remember? What if he blamed her for Jenna's blindness and slammed the door in her face? Not that he would be unjustified in doing so.

Spencer swallowed and considered backing out, but something caught her eye from across the street. A few white envelopes were fluttering on the ground.

The mailbox post was missing.

Another memory swirled up her mind. This time it was of a boy, slinking down an alley, crumpling to the ground. She longed to tell him that he was not alone. He was not the only one feeling scared and frustrated.

She walked across the street and scooped up the envelopes. She then made her way up the porch steps and hesitated. Gathering up her courage, she stepped forward and knocked on the door.

It remained closed.

She raised her hand again, but before it made contact with the wood, the door opened with the latch still on. Two blue-gray eyes glared hostilely at her through the slit.

"Hi," Spencer said, biting her lip. She remembered the envelopes in her hand and held them out. "I noticed this was on the ground as I was walking up."

The boy looked downward. Something flashed in his eyes and the door started to close.

"Wait! Um, I'm here to tutor you," Spencer blurted. The door opened an inch. "Someone from the school called to tell you, didn't they?"

The door slammed shut. Spencer closed her eyes as disappointment flooded through. Well, she had tried, hadn't she?

Suddenly, the door opened again. This time, the latch was off and Spencer could see his face. "Why you?"

"Because I'm in AP French," Spencer said. She looked away. "And I volunteered."

There was still distrust in his eyes. She continued, "Look, I have all of your assignments together and I worked out a schedule for the rest of the semester. If we meet three times a week, we can—" An expression on his face stopped her.

The boy slid out through the small opening in the door and faced her. "You can't come in. Jenna's home."

"Okay." _So he did remember._ It was just as well; Spencer tried to avoid being in the same room as Jenna ever since the incident. "Well, is there somewhere else we can go?"

"I—I can't go somewhere else," he said softly, shifting his left leg. An ankle monitor was fastened around it.

Spencer looked away. "Well, will Jenna mind if we sit here on the porch?"

He pondered the question and shrugged. Meeting his eyes, Spencer slowly sat down on the top step of the porch.

* * *

"What are your thoughts on genetic modification?" Emily read. Being friends with Spencer had many advantages; one of them was that you could always count on her to help with your homework.

"Are scientists playing God and how it will affect human health in the long term," Spencer translated. She was lying on Emily's bed, staring at the ceiling. Ever since she came back from Toby's house, she seemed to be in deep contemplation about something.

"He's different."

Emily knew that she was talking about Toby. "How?" she asked, hoping Spencer wouldn't start badmouthing him again.

"I—I meant, he's different than I thought he'd be."

_Well._ Emily studied her best friend. She seemed a little flushed in the face…A small, satisfied smile crept on Emily's face and she returned to her homework.

"There's something about him that's—I don't know."

"Wow. A question Spencer Hastings can't answer? Interesting," Emily smirked. After all that badmouthing she had had to endure, it seemed more than justified for her to poke a little fun back at Spencer.

"It's not that interesting," Spencer said defensively. "Are we finished with your homework?"

"You are," Emily said, still grinning. She snapped the textbook shut. "Thank you." Spinning around in her chair, she invited Spencer to talk about whatever was troubling her.

"I keep trying to find a connection," Spencer started.

"To Toby?"

"To Alison and Toby." She pursed her lips. "Me and Toby."

_Not again._ The first few words had made Emily roll her eyes. But this time, Spencer seemed to be looking at it from another angle.

"You're pretty sure he didn't do it, right? And yet somehow someone found a way to make him look extremely guilty."

"Spence, you can't figure all that out sitting on his porch conjugating verbs," Emily said, exasperated.

Spencer just raised her eyebrows. "Well, you don't know what those verbs are." She rose from the bed and reached for her bag.

"If he didn't tell you the first time, he probably can't," Emily pointed out, attempting to pacify things. Spencer didn't turn around. "Are you sure he even wants you to come back?"

This made Spencer pause. "Yeah," she said, but she didn't sound so sure.

* * *

"Hey," Spencer greeted Toby curtly. She reached into her bag and handed him a book. "Brought you something."

"L' Attrape-coeurs," Toby read. "The Heart-Catcher?"

"It's 'Catcher in the Rye'," Spencer corrected. "I guess there's no literal translation, but it helps to read a book you already know in English."

"How do you know I've read it?"

_Damn, he had caught her._ "I saw you…once," Spencer stammered, turning her face away. "At the Apple-Rose Grill you were reading it."

His eyes darkened. "What are you doing here?"

Spencer tried to skirt around the question. "Uh, Mr. Crunchi wants you to review the conditional tense—"

"What do you want?"

She wasn't going to give in that easily. "What makes you think that I want something?"

"Because you'd never do anything without a reason."

He was right, but it still stung. Spencer kept her face blank. "Did Emily tell you that?"

"Nobody had to tell me that," he almost spat at her.

Spencer felt like he had slapped her. She bit her lip and finally sacrificed her pride. "I think…maybe…you're being framed."

His eyes were still a stormy blue, but his jaw relaxed. "What changed your mind?"

"I think someone might be trying to do the same thing to me. Maybe the same person."

He raised his eyebrows. "And how does that feel?"

"Not good," she admitted quietly, holding his gaze. "Scary."

Toby's expression now changed to one of bewilderment. "Why would someone go after _you_? What makes you so important?"

"I don't know," she said, chewing on her bottom lip.

He leaned forward. "Maybe you know something you're not supposed to know."

"Well, every time I think I know something, I get the rug pulled out from under me and end up on my ass," she informed him.

He said a French phrase that made her smile and they lapsed into a silence.

"I'm sorry," Spencer said softly. "For what I said about you. And what I thought."

He stared at her for a moment before looking down. _Had she said something wrong?_ When he moved his hand quickly across his eyes, Spencer realized that those words had never been said to him before. _Damn, Spencer._

But her thirst for answers was still greater than her guilt. "The sweater with Alison's blood. You said you gave it to her that night."

"I did."

"And then she got into a car."

"With some guy…I couldn't see who it was," Toby muttered absently. In a low tone he added, "I'm not supposed to talk about this."

Spencer opened her mouth to say something, but a noise from the window startled them both. Through the pale curtain, she saw a shadow. _Jenna._

Apparently Toby thought so too. "I—I have to go…Thanks…for the book." He stood up.

"Oh, you're welcome," Spencer said to Toby's disappearing form. She bit her lip. He had been about to say something, a new piece of information that would have took her one step closer to the truth about Alison's murder. She cast a nervous glance at the curtain, but the shadow had disappeared. Reaching for her bag, she stood up and made her way down the Cavanaughs' porch.


	2. Episode 1x19: A Flutter

**Disclaimer: I don't own Pretty Little Liars or any of the plot or characters. I'm flattered that you think I could come up with a TV show as successful as that, but nope, sorry. I'm a horrid writer, but hey, I'm working on it.**

**I'm a little bit new to Pretty Little Liars, but I've tried to capture the characters as best as I could. The dialogue is almost exactly from the TV show. However, if you see anything or spot any grammatical errors (I try, but I'm not perfect), please comment. I always appreciate reviews.**

**On a last note, does anyone know the official ship name for Spencer and Toby?**

* * *

"Scrabble, Madlibs," Spencer listed as she pulled the various items out of her bag. She looked in her bag, gave a little gasp, and pulled out a magazine. "'Bikes to Fight For, Babes to Die For', page twelve, it's a _great_ read."

"Thanks," Toby said slowly, watching her with an odd expression on his face. He glanced at the magazine before his eyes returned to her. Spencer knew that he was concerned for her and she knew that she wasn't acting like herself, but she welcomed the energy that now flowed through her veins. She welcomed the lightness in her chest. It was the reason why she and her parents were addicted to coffee.

"And I downloaded this app; it turns my phone into a listening device," Spencer informed Toby. Her voice was an octave higher than usual. "That way, if anybody goes next door, we'll be able to hear them through the wall."

"Caffeine?" she offered, pulling a metal container out of her bag. Toby grabbed it from her before she could take a sip.

"No, I think you've had enough," Toby said, looking into the almost-empty cup.

A noise next door startled them both and they looked at each other. Dark brown met blue and they both raced toward the door that led outside. Spencer, being closer, reached it first and snatched it open.

"Hey!" Spencer shouted. The cleaning woman is slowly pushing her cart down the sidewalk. She turned around at Spencer's voice.

"Hey," Spencer said again, breathlessly. The feeling produced by the caffeine had not faded yet. "Did you just come out of room two-fourteen? Is there any way we can get in there?"

The woman was dressed in a pink fraying sweater with a blouse beneath and her hair was pinned in a gray bun. She was a head shorter than Spencer, but she gave the girl a look that read _mind-your-own-business_. "Is it your room?"

An expression came onto Spencer's face and Toby knew that a lie was about to roll off her tongue. He hated lies. Before she could say anything, Toby interrupted, "No, but we—" His voice trailed off as he met Spencer's glare head-on, daring her to say anything.

The woman gave an exasperated sigh and muttered something under her breath. "I've got work to do," she said, turning away.

"Wait! Um," Spencer called. "For a twenty, can we pretend that he said yes?" A half-smile played on her lips and she already held in her extended hand a twenty-dollar bill. She really wanted—no, she _needed_ to get in that room to get to the bottom of the mystery. And her parents had taught her various ways to get things.

When a Hasting needed something, they would do anything to get it.

* * *

Toby sighed internally. After his past experiences with Jenna and the police, he had always hated lies and deceit. The fact that Spencer bribed the woman to let them in discomforted him and he almost wanted to call off the whole investigation thing—whatever they were doing. However, considering the circumstances and considering that this was about _Jenna_ who lied and deceived as easily as a rattlesnake, he decided to ignore his uneasiness. After all, you had to fight evil with evil, right? Or whatever the quote was.

Besides, he liked spending time with Spencer.

He looked around the room and saw something black near the foot of the bed. It rang an alarm bell in his head—

"Spencer," Toby said. He picked up the despised black object. "Jenna's glasses."

A chill ran down his spine. Jenna had warned him, had ordered him many times to never touch any of her belongings. Yet here they were… "Spencer, this _is_ her room."

"Her bag was on the bed," Spencer said. They stared at each other for a second before turning and searching throughout the room. Spencer opened all the drawers and Toby looked around the bed and furniture. Suddenly Spencer looked up and her eyes lit. Toby watched as she ran at the closet and shoved open the doors. On the top shelf was the green Neufelds bag.

Spencer reached for it and put it on the bed. Her face was full of excitement and anticipation, but also…caution, Toby mused. He returned his focus to the mysterious bag. Spencer opened it with a pull and they both leaned forward, their faces covering the opening of the bag.

"Nothing," Toby summed.

* * *

"Jenna might not even be here 'til morning," Toby said, pulling aside the bleach-colored curtain and taking a peek out. Spencer was lying on the bed, absentmindedly moving Scrabble pieces.

Toby let out a deep breath. He moved over and sat on the other side of the bed. "Glyceraldehyde," he read off the scrabble pieces. His frustration was suddenly replaced by amusement.

"With the C on the double-letter, it is thirty-two points…plus the triple-word score gets me ninety-six points," Spencer said, a small self-satisfied smile on her face. She didn't notice Toby eying the board thoughtfully.

"Goofball," Toby said, placing the L on the board. "You can put down a hundred-and-four points for me."

Spencer, who had been leaning over the score sheet, turned her head sharply and glanced at the board. Tony gave her a smirk. "Thanks for the G. I'd been waiting for it."

Spencer raised herself up and stared at the board. Toby continued, "Eighteen points…times the triple-word score…plus the fifty-point bingo bonus."

He looked up at her slyly, but Spencer just raised her eyebrows and turned back to the score sheet. "Well. A hundred-and-four points. Good for you." Her voice was cool and brisk.

"I like this game."

Spencer pursed her lips and pretended to study her fingernails, but she was secretly impressed. And disappointed that she had been thwarted by a boy she barely knew. Scrabble was _her_ game; she couldn't remember the last time she had lost.

There was a silence before Toby leaned over. "I hope you don't take this the wrong way but…" He paused and gestured to her shirt. "You can't be comfortable in that jacket and that tie."

Spencer looked at him, fingering her tie. Again, their eyes locked. Toby raised his eyebrows and cocked his head.

"I'm…fine," Spencer said, staring at a spot on the mattress and playing with her pencil absently. Toby pushed himself up and reached for his bag. He turned to her and held up two blue pieces of clothing.

"Top or bottom?"

Spencer's eyes widened. They moved in a triangle, from the shirt to the pants to Toby's face. The boy smiled. "I'm just kidding."

He tossed Spencer the light blue shirt and went into the bathroom with the pajama bottoms. He pulled close the wooden doors between the bedroom and the bathroom, but there was still a gap between the two. Spencer paused in reaching for a letter block and watched through the slit as Toby unbuttoned his shirt. Her eyes remained on his six-pack. His stomach was flat and his muscles were well-toned.

He stepped out of sight, presumably toward the bathtub, and Spencer quickly looked down. There was a slight flush on her cheeks as she reached for Scrabble pieces with a clatter.

* * *

When Spencer stepped out of her bathtub, she felt much better. The bubbly feeling from the caffeine had left her body and she felt fresh. She reached for Toby's shirt and put it over her head. It was soft and warm and smelled like Toby. Spencer didn't know how to describe the scent, but it reminded her of the air right after it rained.

Spencer gently pulled open the bathroom doors and stood in the doorway. Toby was asleep on the bed, bare-chested. He looked...open. Young. Soft. Spencer studied the boy on the bed. Toby had always had that vulnerability about him. Even when he closed up, Spencer remembered the crumpled figure in the alleyway and she felt a pang in her chest. Living with Jenna and being accused of murder had probably struck down his barriers and played with his emotions. Spencer knew that if she had gone through all that he had, she'd be pretty messed up too.

Then again, she was already messed up from the whole A business and Alison's murder and "the Jenna thing" and her fights with her family...and now she was under investigation by the police.

Spencer felt something flutter inside her chest as she gazed upon the boy she was getting to know. She told herself that the reason why she felt a connection toward him was that they had gone through similar things and now he was here to help her. He was the only person she could trust outside of her friends.

Spencer watched his chest rise and fall before moving forward and easing herself onto the bed. Taking one more glance at Toby, she took the other side of the bed and waited for sleep to come.

* * *

They were two lost souls, abandoned by their family, losing their friends, searching for someone to trust. He stayed inside his house to avoid the eyes that always turn his way. She locked her door and window every night to keep the figures from her dreams.

She was the one who rang his doorbell. He was the one who let her in. And together, along the way, they found each other.


	3. Episode 1x19: First Kiss

**Update to all those who are reading: I was deciding this morning, but this fanfic is definitely getting continued. I just love Spoby to much to stop so I'm going to do more moments from the show.**

**Yeah, I changed the title. I know, I'm so creative, right? Maybe when I finish, I'll think of a more original title. But for right now, the title sums up what this fanfic is about.**

**Thanks to Ana (starlightandmoonbeams) for my first review!**

* * *

Spencer opened her eyes slowly at the light streaming from the window. She felt warm and safe and—an alarm bell buzzed at the back of her mind.

There was a body pressed against her.

Her arms were wrapped around Toby's chest.

Slowly, gently, cautious not to wake him up, Spencer slipped out her hand from the crook of his arm. His head twitched a little against the pillow and she yanked her whole arm up. He was still asleep as she rolled over, threw her legs to the side, and jerked herself up. She sat on the bed for a moment, catching her breath.

So what if he had woken up? It wasn't like she had done it _intentionally_. She had probably gotten cold sometime during the night and sought out body heat. After all, she had read books about how animals instinctively moved toward sources of heat.

Spencer took a deep breath. She was overreacting. They were just friends right?

A sudden movement caught her eye and she turned her head toward Toby, who was stretching his arms. She pushed herself up from the bed just as he rolled over.

"Hey," she managed to say, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. Her voice sounded different, still clogged with sleep.

Toby had propped himself up on the pillows. His eyebrows drew together. "Have you been up all night?"

Spencer looked away and shook her head. "Uh-uh," she said, but it came out as a squeak. She cleared her throat and looked down.

Toby was watching her with those blue eyes. Spencer swore that a smile was on his lips. He looked like he was going to say something, but to Spencer's relief, there was a shuffling sound from next door.

Toby threw himself off the bed and Spencer raced after him. She unconsciously noticed that he hadn't even bothered to put his shirt on. _No. Stop it, Spencer. _

A noise distracted her. It was the flute again.

The curtain in room two-fourteen was only partly drawn. Spencer and Toby peered through the window at the darkened room, but they didn't see anything—or rather, anybody.

Toby cautiously pushed open the door and stepped into the room. Spencer followed, closing the door with a click.

And then they both realized: the flute noise was coming from a white CD player. It was pre-recorded.

Spencer moved over and paused the CD. The flute music automatically stopped. Thoughts were running through her head: Who had put the CD player there? Was it Jenna? Was this even Jenna's room after all? Had this been a trap? Had the black sunglasses been a red herring?

Toby's voice pierced through her endless questions. "You're getting colder."

Spencer whirled around. No, it couldn't be. Had he set her up? He couldn't have, no— "What?"

Toby gave her a quizzical look. He was hovering over the Neufelds bag on the bed that she hadn't even bothered to look at. Spencer went over to look and gripped the edge of the bag. Inside there was a white Post-it note stuck on top of a pile of ice cubes. On the Post-it note was written in blurred ink, "You're getting colder. –A"

Relief hit Spencer at first. Toby was on her side; he had only been reading what was on the Post-it note. Then the terror and frustration crashed in. Of course A knew what she was up to. Of course A was involved in this. Of course A had answers that she didn't have. Spencer let go of the bag.

"Who's A?" Toby asked curiously, still staring at the note.

Spencer inhaled sharply. No, she would _not_ get him involved in this. She would _not_ put him in more danger.

She pushed her hair under her ear. "I have no idea."

* * *

"If it gets too uncomfortable at home, I'm here for one more night, you can always come back," Toby said.

"I might actually take you up on that," Spencer said. Her tone was light, but there was a sad smile on her face.

_Please do. _It would be lonely staying at the motel by himself. He would miss her, her board games, her stubbornness…but most of all, the moments they shared. The moments when their eyes met and he swore that he knew exactly what she was thinking.

Like right then. He returned her smile but she cast her eyes downward.

"I'm sorry this was a bust."

"It wasn't a complete wash," Toby said. He meant it; he had enjoyed spending time with her. "To be honest, it was really fun to kick your ass at Scrabble."

He was smirking, knowing that he had hit a nerve. She leaned back, her eyes narrowing as she opened her mouth to fire back. _God, he loved that look._ He pushed himself up from his lazy pose against the car and advanced toward her. His lips caught hers and in that moment, there was a burst of sunlight.

Before he could draw back, Spencer moved forward. Her lips were soft and her eyes closed. The kiss was less gentle, but not exactly fierce.

Spencer opened her eyes and looked into his. Their foreheads were pressed together and their noses touched.

"I was…not expecting that." She smiled and Toby reciprocated.

"Me neither."

They stepped back and Toby slowly dropped his hands from around her waist. The light hit her dark hair, turning it to reddish brown. She was so out of his league, yet…

He caught her hand and slowly dropped it as he turned away.

"Hey, it was not a complete ass-kicking, by the way." Her tone was defensive and he turned around, smiling. _God, I love her._

"Goodbye, Spencer," Toby said, turning around and walking back to his motel room. He didn't look back and he knew she wouldn't either because they were going to see each other plenty in the future.


	4. Episode 1x20: Her Problems

**Note to all subscribers: This is NOT a new chapter, but since I decided to write a few parts from Season 1, Episode 16 and post it as Chapter 1, all the chapters got bumped back.**

**Therefore, instead of re-reading this chapter, you should check out Chapter 1: Season 1, Episode 16. :)**

**This is a pretty short chapter (870 words), but I decided to post it because I know what it's like to wait for the author to update. Besides, on Monday I'll have to get back to school (it's my second to last day of spring break) and won't have as much time to work on this. :(**

**Thanks to all those who reviewed or put this on story alert/favorites. :) Enjoy!**

* * *

Toby watched her from the backyard door. There was a particularly intense expression on her face as she gazed upon the laptop screen.

What had she gotten herself into? And furthermore, why hadn't she told him about it?

He sighed and rapped loudly on the door. Spencer jumped and quickly pushed down the laptop screen. _What was she doing?_ He pushed away his curiosity. There were more important matters to discuss.

There was an anxious expression on her face, but her eyes lit up when she saw him. His heart lifted. He had missed her…

She opened the door to let him in. "God, I'm glad to see you."

This reminded him of why he was here. He stepped in his room and faced her, arms crossed against his chest. "You've got a cop car across from your house."

Spencer froze and there was a look of genuine surprise and fear on her face. Toby relaxed. So she didn't know about this after all…but she probably knew the reason behind it.

"Where? I didn't see it."

"Detectives. Trust me, I know every Stalk-Sedan in town," he said. He hesitated before saying in a harsh tone, "They used to rotate in front of my house."

She was already moving out of the room. Toby grabbed her wrist gently and looked her in the eyes. Concern was gnawing at him. "What's going on?"

She closed her eyes briefly and sighed. "The police searched my house. They took things from my room…I'm a person of interest."

There was a note of hysteria in her voice. This scared Toby even more; Spencer was supposed to be the one with a cool head. Anxiety was knotting up his stomach. "What do they think you did?"

"I—they think that—" She bit her lip and her eyes flitted around the room. She took a deep breath. "They think that I—"

"They think you hurt Alison." _No. This couldn't be happening. Please, no—_

Her eyes cast downward, she nodded. Toby let out a breath and refrained from swearing. It was happening all over again, except this time, it was someone else's nightmare.

"That's crazy." He said this with full confidence; he knew Spencer, the one who had appeared on his doorstep, and he didn't think she would hurt a fly.

"Yeah," Spencer said but she looked like she was about to cry. "Well, it's good to hear somebody else say that."

Damn those cops. He wanted to take her in his arms, but a better idea sprang in his mind. "You got any coffee made?"

"Yeah, always," she said. She smiled a little as they both remembered that night in the motel when she had gotten high from caffeine.

"Paper cups?"

Spencer turned from the counter. "Why paper cups?"

"You're going to take coffee to those cops watching your house," Toby said, his eyes locked on her. The puzzled expression on her face didn't change.

"Why am I going to do that?"

He raised an eyebrow. "So they'll know you know they're out there. And you're not afraid of them."

Her eyes flitted to the window. "Yeah, but I am kind of afraid."

It was the first time he'd heard her admit weakness. Toby kept his eyes on her, hoping to arouse the courage and confidence he had always admired in her. "They don't know that."

She sighed, but moved to the drawer and got the paper cups. "Toby, the car that you saw Alison get in the night she was killed…"

It was his turn to look down. "I never saw the driver, I told you."

"I think the driver was Ian."

"You tell the cops what you think?"

"Yeah, I told. And now I'm the little girl who cried Ian."

"They think you lied to them," Toby stated. He didn't get where she was going with this. "Big deal, people lie to the cops all the time."

She whirled around. The scared, almost haunted look in her eyes made him freeze. "It's more than that. It's a lot of things that add up to make me look really suspicious."

Her eyes flicked to his and Toby realized what she was trying to tell him. She had secrets. Big and dangerous ones. His curiosity stirred but he didn't pry. He trusted her to do what was right. She would tell him when she was ready.

Her eyebrows drew together. "Maybe you should keep away from me."

This made him smile. Did she think that she would get rid of him that easily? "People cross the street when they see me coming and they think you're trying to frame your brother-in-law."

He shook his head and his smile grew even though this was no joking matter. "Who else are you going to hang out with?"

She smiled then. It was the first real smile he had seen since he came in. Toby watched as she took the two cups and sauntered toward the door. Her courage was back.

When she exited the room, he let out a sigh. He didn't want to get involved in this again. But she was involved and needed him. _Who else are you going to hang out with?_

They were in this together.


	5. Episode 1x20: A Romantic Moment

**This is also a pretty short chapter, but I consider this one of the best Spoby drabbles I've written. :) Hope that makes up for the shortness. :) And the lack of updates. :D**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

"Poor Hanna," Spencer said, staring at the fireplace. The room was warm and dimly lit. The fire weaved between the logs and created a golden glow. Toby sat next to her, their elbows and legs touching. _It could almost pass for a cozy romantic moment_, Spencer mused. She felt a sudden rush of weariness after the day's events and cupped her hands around her mug for warmth.

"I'm sorry."

Spencer shook her head and turned toward him. "Well, _you_ didn't do anything."

She was secretly relieved that he was there in fact. Despite all that had happened, he was still by her side, ready to fight any battles coming their way. She felt a pang of guilt and sympathy as her thoughts wandered back to the sight of Hanna in tears and a certain shaggy-haired boy lurking around, and she almost missed Toby's next words.

"I'm part of what happened to her. What's happening to all of you." Like her, he was staring at the fireplace. Spencer wondered if he was thinking about how things could be if they weren't part of this drama. How things could be _with them_.

"It's the other way around, Toby," she corrected. Their eyes met. She remembered the days she had watched him, even from a car mirror once, before she approached him. "We happened to you."

He went back to staring at the fireplace, but she kept watching him. "So what's it like to run away?"

She had said it without thinking. Spencer wondered if he would react to it sensitively like he did whenever she brought up Alison's murder. Suddenly she wished she could shove the question back in her mouth.

However, he didn't even flinch. "Cold." He turned toward her. "Didn't you ever run away?"

"Once. When I was seven." A memory swirled in her mind. "My sister and I had an argument over something and my parents took Melissa's side." _Don't they always?_

"What were you fighting about?"

A misplaced hairbrush? A missing English essay? Melissa was always accusing her of taking her things. Her sister had been paranoid about her parents and her "annoying baby sister" snooping in her room when she was a teenager. "Some…great injustice…I can't remember now."

She chuckled at the stubbornness of her childhood self. "But they sided with her so I made a tuna salad sandwich…and I ran away."

Toby's lips tugged upward. "And where did you go?"

Spencer was smiling now. "To the movies."

For some reason her throat closed up. "It was something animated. There was a princess and everyone was singing." _And there was a happy ending._

"And I got lonely…and I ate my tuna salad sandwich…and I came home," she finished.

"Were your parents worried?"

Spencer bit her lip and turned her face away. "They hadn't even noticed I was gone."

She swallowed again, forcing back any forthcoming tears. She had always had a rocky relationship with her parents. Even though she knew that her parents did care about her, sometimes it hurt so much to watch them fawn over Melissa and leave her standing in the shadows.

"Do me a favor?"

She turned toward him, careful to keep her face void of emotion. "What?"

"You ever get the urge to run away again, call me first. Okay?"

He sounded so serious that she had to smile. "Okay."

He took her hand then, his rough, calloused fingers intertwined with her own. And they sat there for a long time in silence, watching the fire dance among the logs.


	6. Episode 1x21: Interference

**This chapter's also kinda short, but I wanted to put it up because I haven't updated in a while-a week? Maybe two?**

**Anyways, I was re-watching this episode and I wanted to do it in Spencer's POV just because there's this part where he turns around to face her and his eyes are the most amazing shade of blue-gray. *swoons* But I ****decided to do this in Toby's POV because most of the previous chapters were from Spencer's.**

* * *

He took a plastic black frame and pressed it firmly into place. He smiled with satisfaction when he heard the little _click_ sound.

Toby had always been good with tools. Most of his childhood memories were of re-assembling bike and car parts. He loved assembling parts; he supposed that it was because the pieces of a motorcycle always fit together in ways that the shattered pieces of his life didn't.

Footsteps slapped lightly against the asphalt. Toby turned. His grin grew wider when he saw who it was.

Spencer was standing a few feet away, her hands burrowed in the pockets of her sweatshirt. One part of Toby wanted to close the distance with a hug. The other half of him was aware of the fact that he was covered with grime and dirt and doubted Spencer would want to touch him.

She shifted her weight to one leg and he realized that she was waiting for him to speak. "Hey," he said hastily. "How are you?"

She smiled slightly. Toby adored that half-smile of hers, the way her lips parted slightly and only the tops of her teeth showed. "Relieved that you're speaking to me. I wasn't sure if you heard that cops theory about me planting evidence—"

"We shouldn't talk about this," he interrupted before she could say more. He pretended to adjust the frame. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see something coming down the street.

"So you do think it was me."

"No! Of course not." Toby looked up, startled. Her face was expressionless, the same way it had been the first day he had met her and accused her of being calculated and heartless. It was the one she used to cut off from the world, to pretend that she wasn't hurt; that because she was a Hasting, she was tough and nothing could ever hurt her.

He knew her better than that.

"But I can't say the same for my family," Toby continued. His parents hadn't been pleased when Jenna announced that he was spending "an awful lot of time with that Hastings girl." They had heard about Spencer's trouble with the police of course, and were convinced he was hanging out with the wrong crowd.

As for Jenna, she had treated him particularly nastily lately. He suspected seeing him on the porch with Spencer had fueled up her jealousy.

"Spencer, you should go home," he finished, his voice gentle. He nodded at the police cruiser that had slid behind her. "Those guys have a way of adding two and two and coming up with five."

Her eyes had widened at the sight of the police car. "I'll stop by your place later," he added.

Spencer opened her mouth, closed it, then opened it again. "Um, I'm not sure that's a good idea."

There was a sinking feeling at the pit of his stomach. "Why not?" he asked. When she didn't respond, he answered for himself. "Because your parents don't want you near me. It makes sense."

_Just like Romeo and Juliet_, he thought with dark amusement. A chill ran down his spine. Romeo and Juliet hadn't had their happy ending.

Spencer was looking at him with concern. Toby tried to re-arrange his facial features, but it was no use—unlike Spencer, he wasn't good at hiding his feelings. According to Jenna, his eyes darkened to a stormy blue whenever he was in a bad mood.

Spencer was talking. "How about the festival? Maybe we could meet up…behind a tent." Her lips curved up. "By the fun house. Seven o'clock?"

It was the best he could hope for. _Sounds great._

* * *

_Where was she?_ Toby stood near the entrance of the carnival, looking through the crowd for a certain mocha-eyed brunette. His height was an advantage, but try as he might, Spencer was nowhere to be seen.

He blamed Jenna for making him so late. She had gotten suspicious why he wanted to go to the carnival; she knew he hated the bright lights, the streaming crowd of people, the creepy clowns with their creepy smiles. He flippantly told her that he just wanted to do something fun for once. Even though he knew she hadn't believed him, his parents had happily latched on and she had been forced to let it go.

**I'm here. Where can I find you? **he texted Spencer. What if she changed her mind? What if her parents had found out they were planning to meet and forbid her?

And then he saw her. Coming out from the haunted house. All the questions—What had happened? What was she doing in there?—died on his lips when he saw the expression on her face.

Right then, he knew that she needed him. He took a step forward—

"Spencer?"

—and stopped. For the voice saying her name had not been his own; it had been her mother's. Spencer turned toward her mother, leaving Toby alone in the hurt and sadness threatening to engulf him.

But then she turned back. And suddenly she was running and he was holding her as she trembled. Somehow their lips met and she was kissing him, anxiety and desperation rolling off her in waves. He kissed her back, radiating love and comfort and every good feeling he'd ever had because of her.

_I don't care if we're forbidden to see each other. I'll always be here for you, Spencer._


	7. Episode 1x22: Her Safe Place To Land

**Lol, haven't updated in almost a month. :( Sorry guys.**

**I _did_ add a new little section to the previous chapter. If you want to check that out. :)**

* * *

She twiddled with her pencil.

He turned a page.

She finally snuck a glance at him and found that he was already looking at her.

Smirking, he turned another page.

She forced her eyes back to the paper in front of her.

His smirk grew wider. "Are you sure this is how you want to spend the afternoon?"

"I like having you here," she said plainly and launched her pencil into a furious scribble.

"Because it makes a statement to your family?" He knew that wasn't the reason, but it would be nice to hear her say it—

Her own eyebrows drew together. "No," she said, looking at him as if he was an idiot. "Because I like having you here."

He let those words swirl around him. "I like being here," he said softly.

She was ignoring him now, but he saw her eyelashes flutter for a fraction of a second.

His mind moved to more serious matters. "Do you want to talk about tonight? About what might happen?"

"I think I'm all talked out."

Toby smiled and closed his book. There was a beautiful girl next to him that required his attention. "Come here."

* * *

_Beep._

Spencer woke up smiling. It had been the first time in months that she'd allowed herself to take a nap; usually, she was too busy, too restless, and too stressed to do so. However, as she disentangled herself from her boyfriend's hold and stretched out her arms and legs, she felt _great_. Refreshed. It was different from the feeling she got when she gulped down two cups of black coffee; that feeling said she was at the top of her game. _This_ feeling said that she could do anything in the world because nothing was impossible.

She reached for her phone. One glance dampened her spirits a little and she let out an exasperated sigh. "It's Melissa," she explained as she reached for her bag. "Ian never showed up for the church and she needs a ride."

Toby put his book down and got up from the couch. "I'll keep Jenna busy like you asked me to," he assured, "but I wish I was going with you tonight."

"You're helping me by finding out whether she's a part of this or not," Spencer reminded him, capturing his hands with hers. She bit her lip and looked him in the eye. "Look, I've never…had a safe place to land. But now I feel like I do. And I want you to stay safe."

"If you need anything tonight," Toby said, looking at her intensely to let her know he meant it, "I'll be there for you."

_I'll be there for you. _Spencer smiled and leaned in. "I love knowing that."


	8. Episode 2x2: His Problems

**Dedicated to MusicandAngels for being such a lovely reader+reviewer. :)**

**Ooh, and btw, how awesome is Season 3? :D**

* * *

Spencer had been sitting in the courtyard, trying to sort out her thoughts, when she caught sight of a sudden movement out of the corner of her eye.

She turned her head. There, between the brick columns—

_Toby?_

He waved to her. In his other hand was a large manila envelope.

Spencer stood up, an incredulous smile forming on her face. "You're here," she said in wonder.

"I had to get the papers from the office," he explained. Was he insinuating something?

Spencer hoped so. "You're coming back to school?"

The corners of his mouth turned down. "I haven't changed my mind." He held up the manila envelope. "This is about getting a GED on my own."

Spencer pursed her lips. "Look, I'm the one who looks guilty," she reminded him. She touched his arm. "You can come back if you want to."

"The thing is, I _don't_ want to," he interrupted. "You're the one looking forward to class reunions, not me."

Their eyes met. Spencer remembered how people had gossiped about him in the hallway, how no one wanted to be his partner for class assignments, how the word "murderer" had been spray-painted on his locker. She herself had called him every bad word in the book in her rants to Aria, Emily, and Hanna.

"Besides," he continued, his face brightening, "I got a job. Check it out." He turned around.

On the back of his T-shirt read the words "Rosewood Construction." His enthusiasm and excitement made her smile. At least it was a carpenter job.

"They needed someone full-time and I'll be learning from the best," he was saying.

_Full-time._ He really was leaving school for good. "How are your parents about this?"

His eyes flickered away from hers and she knew that she had hit the sore spot. "My family is the reason why I'm doing it. The sooner I've got some money, the sooner I'm out of there. For good."

It was Spencer's time to look away. "And out of Rosewood?"

"Well, that depends."

"On what?"

He shrugged. "Different things."

She frowned. What kind of an answer was that? "Name three."

He smiled, his eyes on her. "I can only think of one right now."

* * *

The moment she saw Toby's face, she knew that something had happened. Something bad.

She had wanted to surprise him and pick him up from his first day of work. But then the burly gray-haired man—Mr. Sweeney—handed Toby a white envelope and the expression on Toby's face broke Spencer's heart. It was the same expression that had been on his face in the alley; the drawn eyebrows, the set jaw, the stiff shoulders, the darkened eyes. She wanted to run to him and kiss that expression off his face. Instead, she watched Mr. Sweeney gesture and shake his head and Toby have a stare-down with the ground.

"Toby," she began when he came near her car. He confirmed her suspicions.

"Mr. Sweeney let me go."

"But it was your first day," she protested.

"The owner of the house saw me on the crew and told Mr. Sweeney he'd cancel the job if he didn't get rid of me," Toby explained bitterly.

"Why?"

"They've got a daughter," Toby said. "They don't want me in the house so Mr. Sweeney paid me off for the week."

Spencer was indignant. "He can_not_ do that." She was prepared to march her way up to Mr. Sweeney and give him a talk about the legal issues with 'paying off' people.

The harshness in Toby's voice stopped her. "Forget it, Spencer. It's just how this town works."


	9. Episode 2x2: Rosewood

**A short drabble.**

* * *

"It's not so bad from up here."

Spencer gave him a puzzled look. Her mind was still on 'Ian's' text message.

Toby was gazing down at Rosewood from their high vantage point. "Just looks like a town."

Spencer glanced at the town she had spent her life in. The houses, the motels, the church in the distance. If she squinted, she could make out the form of her own house. "That's all it is."

"More than that." Toby chuckled with dark amusement. "It's like one of those collective mind creatures in the movies. One with a really long memory."

Spencer stared at him and then looked back at the scene laid out before them. Rosewood always seemed strangely peaceful at night, with the dimming of the lights and the music of the crickets. "It's not a monster."

"It's got monsters in it. You know that." Toby's words sent a chill running down her spine. "So do I."


End file.
